The Acting Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has pledged to uphold a strong partnership with the Lagos State Government.
He disclosed this when he paid a visit to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
During the meeting, the Customs Boss emphasized the strategic importance of Lagos in the operations of the service, as it currently oversees 70 to 75 percent of the total revenue collection for the Customs.
Mr. Adeniyi assured the Governor of the Customs Service’s unwavering commitment to conducting its activities strictly within the boundaries of the law.
More also, he expressed full support for the Governor’s vision to transform Lagos into a thriving mega city.
He said, “We followed your attempt; you made serious efforts to make Lagos a smart city. The least we can do as a responsible Agency of Government is complement your efforts in sustainable development”.
“And in the very short time that I have been in Office, we started to review our various operations to ensure that they align with your vision of making Lagos work for Lagosians”.
“We just secured a presidential approval to undertake decongestion at our ports, using a combination of public auction and transferring some of the containers to the Government Warehouse in Ikorodu”, he noted.
“I’ve visited all the facilities and very soon, while working with all the stakeholders, we will be able to kickstart this process and create the space necessary inside the port and around the premises of the port”, he added.
During the reception of his guests, Governor Sanwo-Olu extends his congratulations to the Acting Comptroller-General of Customs on his appointment and reaffirms his dedication to ensuring a conducive working environment for businesses to flourish.
He disclosed that the necessary approvals for the Badagry port have been successfully secured.
“I want to assure you that Lagos and Lagosians will continue to give you that hospitality where business can thrive and Officers can do their work without fear or favour”, he said.
“I also need to inform you that there’s an approval for a Badagry port. The whole idea is to build strategic infrastructure for our citizens; Lekki is on the eastern part, badagry is on the western part so that we can decongest Apapa and Tin-can that have stretched their capacity”, he noted.
“These are some of the things that will ensure that investments come in, that will ensure that businesses can move in and out and we can begin to compete with some of the biggest and nice ports that we see all around the world”, he emphasized.
“I believe it’s a collaborative effort. I equally believe it’s a work in progress that can improve the turnaround all around the ports”, he said.
